Ahead of Liberal party convention and growing dissent in own ranks, Charest finally succumbs to the pressure.

Quebec Premier Jean Charest, centre, walks to his second party caucus at the legislature in Quebec City on Tuesday. Charest has called for an inquiry into corruption in the province's construction industry.

By:Andrew ChungQuebec Bureau, Published on Tue Oct 18 2011

MONTREAL—After more than two years of relentless controversy, an inquiry will finally be launched into corruption in Quebec’s construction industry.

It’s an industry rife with allegations of bid-rigging, collusion, mafia-control, fraud and, perhaps worst of all for Premier Jean Charest, ties to party fundraising. Yet since 2009, Charest has stubbornly refused the calls for an inquiry.

Until the last few days. Hints began to circulate last weekend that Charest would bow to the pressure. On Tuesday it appears he did.

Leaving a special hours-long caucus meeting in which the government’s position was to have been discussed, Henri-François Gautrin, the deputy government house leader, told reporters a decision had been made and it would be announced Wednesday following the regular cabinet meeting.

Asked if he was satisfied with the decision, Gautrin replied, “Yes.” Gautrin is in favour of an inquiry.

Then during question period in the National Assembly, Gerald Deltell, leader of the opposition party Action démocratique du Québec, said “The Premier has finally heard the call and tomorrow (he) will launch a public commission of inquiry.” It had been 926 days since his party made the first call for an inquiry, he said.

Charest, for his part, didn’t reveal his cards in the assembly.

He simply referred to the report of an anti-collusion task force. Its head, Jacques Duchesneau, recently made waves calling for an inquiry.

Charest, who has always pointed to police investigations as a way to deflect the calls for an inquiry, said he wanted to ensure any inquiry would protect proof already collected, protect witnesses and not impinge on the laying of criminal charges.

It appears there was also continuing debate as to who would be named to head the commission. Opposition politicians are already demanding a third party determine the parameters of the inquiry.

It’s not clear what structure the inquiry will take. Charest only seemed to soften to the idea after Duchesneau recommended part of it take place behind closed doors. The opposition is demanding it be fully public.

Charest has held out on this file longer than anyone thought he could.

Calls for a public inquiry go all the way back to April 2009.

As media reports piled up, pointing to collusion among big names in the business, fraudulent practices and ties to political party fundraisers, particularly those for Charest’s Quebec Liberal Party, opposition parties began to demand an inquiry on a daily basis

Major actors in Quebec society also lent their voices to the cause, including associations representing provincial police officers and crown prosecutors, as well as unions and media editorialists.

Most recently, cracks have begun to show inside the Liberal party, with unhappiness over Charest’s obstinacy spilling into the open.

In August, the riding association president in Jonquière resigned, saying he’d “lost confidence” in Charest. Last week an organizer in the Outaouais, Étienne Boulrice, attacked Charest’s “absence of leadership” and left the party.

Five of seven riding association members in the Montreal suburb of Terrebonne have resigned and even Charest’s speech writer split with him over the issue.

Parti Québécois Leader Pauline Marois accused Charest of going ahead with an inquiry for “partisan” reasons, to avoid further resignations ahead of the party’s convention, which begins Friday.

There might be another reason Charest is changing his mind: A new Léger Marketing poll indicates 77 per cent of Quebecers want an inquiry, including 57 per cent of Liberals.

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